Nevzat Halili, a political leader of the Albanian community in Macedonia, announced last week the establishment of the “Republic of Ilirida,” an autonomous region with a government based “on the constitution of the United States” and the international principle of self-determination.
Halili asked Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski to initiate proceedings for the federalization of Macedonia.
As “president of Ilirida,” he asked that Macedonia in the future functions as a state of two equal republics – llirida and Macedonia – modeled on the former Union of Serbia and Montenegro and the Belgian federation.
“We are not in favor of changing Macedonia’s external borders, but administrative boundaries between Illirida and Macedonia should be defined. This should be done according to the model Serbia and Montenegro had a few years ago, and what Belgium has now,” said Halili.
If the Macedonian institutions ignore these demands, he said, there would be a referendum.
With this announcement, history is repeating itself somewhat. Mr. Halili first declared the formation of the Republic of Ilirida in 1992 after a referendum–which the central government declared illegal–was held within the Albanian community. The republic’s existence was not codified in the peace agreement that ended the 2001 Albanian revolt in Macedonia. The move comes after a summer of intense public demonstrations and clashes between Albanian activists and authorities.
